Our spotlight this month is a well-deserved focus on our very own Kevin Kolvereid, or KC, as many of you know him.
Kevin enlisted in the Army at 22, following in the footsteps of his father who was a military OBGYN in various places around the world including Japan, Italy, France, Germany, and Southern Spain before landing in the DC area. After basic training and his advanced individual training course, Kevin made the Special Forces selection and went on to become an 18-D (18-Delta Special Forces Medic) where he served for 10 years around the world.
Since leaving the military, Kevin has devoted his professional life to medicine. He has been a physician’s assistant for 28 years, first in trauma medicine in DC and Cincinnati, and then in orthopedics in Colorado. Most recently, Kevin has worked with a rural medicine surgical team that flies to various locations throughout Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming performing surgeries which patients would otherwise have to travel to urban areas to receive. Often, the team performs as many as 8-11 surgeries per day.
When KC is not practicing medicine, he is an instructor of tactical medical for SWAT teams and military teams worldwide preparing for tours. He is also a certified firearms instructor for both LE and civilians.
Like so many talented people, his accomplishments go on and on. Kevin can “get by” in 4 languages, has been playing bagpipes since 1989, and has been a drummer for 40 years. He played in DC bands during his younger years, and now plays in The Brian Smith Band. Prior to joining the military, he graduated from The Culinary Institute of America. He cooked professionally for some years, but now those skills are reserved for family and friends -lucky us! He started brewing his own beer in 1989 and making wine in 1996. He’s also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has worked with both the Olympic Boxing and Olympic Ski Teams…Exhale!
Most importantly, Kevin has been married to his wife, Gina, since 1992 and they have 3 wonderful children, Kris, Ellie, and Jon. (4 if you include his 130 pound Bernese Mountain Dog, Watson)
We met Kevin at the orthopedics office with one of our many injuries, but we really got to know him when he instructed various firearms courses we took 4 years ago. We invited him back to the Talon Grips office after the class to show him around, and he was instantly a believer. For four years, Kevin has been an unwavering supporter of Talon Grips, bringing valuable perspective to the company and unrivaled energy. If you have met us at SHOT Show or NTOA, you likely remember and came back year after year to see Kevin. He’s that memorable guy. The one you feel like you have known forever, even though you just met him.
Last October Kevin was blindsided by the news that he had Glioblastoma Multiform, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Being the warrior that he is, KC has fought as hard as anyone can. The fight is not only mentally, physically, and emotionally draining but also a financial burden. To support KC in his fight and show how much he means to us we are having a sale to benefit KC and his family.
On Wednesday, October 5th, TALON Grips will have one of the largest sales of the year. All grips will be $14.99, and 100% of retail sales from that day will be donated to Kevin and his family. No coupon code is necessary. Just go to www.TalonGunGrips.com and make your purchase. If you’d like to donate without purchasing grips go HERE.
Why is Kevin not covered by Health insurance? Why should we need a fund raiser for Kevin when he has sacrificed so much. His costs should be covered by insurance. Colorado care if implemented would not allow this injustice to continue.
Paul – Kevin might have some form of health insurance but even if he does I can tell you as heart transplant recipient for 26 years now that back then I had real insurance that covered way more than it does now and very low deductibles like $100.00 instead of 3200.00 like mine is today and that’s really good by today’s standards.
But there are expenses that go beyond hospital and doctors visits and medicine. If you cannot work then you don’t get paid or you are on long term disability (in my case was 60% of normal pay which at that time was practically nothing) or you have to wait until our Govt deems you legitimately in need (that means an actual need for help, not being on the dole like so many in this country) AND he has children. No matter how sick you are the bills keep coming in!